Talking to the Dead
by Loveless1310
Summary: Harry woke on the grass, under a tree, not recalling how he got there. What he did know was that someone was sitting next to him. A conversation between a confused Harry and a cryptic Draco. R & R and get a cookie


So, my plot bunnies continue to plague my mind with new ideas. this is the latest the bunnies has presented me with. Hope you enjoy^^

Oh, and sadly, I really don't HP, though I'd love to and someday I might. But for now, I'll stick to writing fanfics about it.

And with no more further a due, I present to you

**Talking to the Dead**

Harry woke up laying in the grass, under a tree, in front of the lake, with no recollection of how he got there. One thing he did know was that someone was sitting next to him on the grass. He slowly opened his eyes, not wanting to be completely blinded by the sun that was shining down on him.

He looked up at the figure sitting silently next to him just to be blinded by the head of platinum hair that shown like a miniature sun. "Malfoy? What do you want? I don't feel like fighting right now, can you come back at a different time?"

Draco smiled slightly, though Harry couldn't tell because his eyes were still adjusting to the light. "I don't want to fight you Potter. Not really sure if I ever really wanted to." His voice was void of any negative emotions which left it an almost ringing sound. Draco looked at the lake, his eyes showing that he was seeing something beyond the lake itself.

Harry was thoroughly confused now. Malfoy didn't want to fight? And where was the hatred and malice that always came when he spoke to Harry? Why did he seem so relaxed? So at peace with everything?

"Uhm, Malfoy, what's wrong?" Harry asked, for surely there had to be something deathly wrong with the blond to be acting this way and actually being _nice_ to Harry.

Draco let out a small laugh, which scared Harry more then anything else to this point. "There's nothing wrong with me. Not really anyway. In fact, I've never felt better." Draco smiled genuinely, his molten eyes shining a bit.

"Well, uhm, that's good, I guess. So, uh, what do you want then?" Harry was still confused and was still just trying to get some real answers out of the other boy.

"I'm not really sure myself, actually. I guess I had some unfinished business here and it just happened to deal with you. Probably my conscious trying to get me to apologies for everything I've done to you and your friends." Draco said but to Harry it sounded more like babble.

He wasn't really getting anywhere at all and Malfoy just seemed out to confuse. Maybe this was his new way of hassling Harry. Get him so confused that he can't even hope to put up a good fight. "Malfoy, you don't seem to be making any sense. Why are you even talking to me?"

At this moment, Draco snapped his fingers, seemingly figuring something out. "I got it! It's 'cause I was such a git. That's why I'm here. And especially here with you, Potter. You were the one I was most cruel to. Even when I was attacking Granger and Weasel it was always to get to you." He was smiling triumphantly now.

Before Harry could speak anything about his current confusion, Draco swiftly got to his feet and in one smooth movement, pulled Harry to his as well. "And that's why I'm here. This was always more my home then Malfoy Manor was. So of course I'd want to come here."

Draco looked back at Harry and could see the utter confusion in his eyes. Understanding finally showed through Draco's eyes. "You don't know. Well, I guess you couldn't possibly know because I guess it just happened but some how I thought you might already know." A flash of sadness sparked across Draco's eyes for a moment.

"Malfoy, you still aren't making any sense. What don't I know? What do you keep talking about?" Harry didn't understand at all.

Draco looked around at that moment before he turned back to Harry, his eyes serious for once. "I'm sorry Harry. For everything. Everything I've ever said or did that made you mad or annoyed or hurt you. Tell Granger I'm sorry too and I guess you can tell the Weasel as well. I don't think you'll have to deal with me for to much longer in any case. You guys can all celebrate that later. Well I must be going." He turned his back on Harry and started walking into the Forbidden Forest.

"Wait! What is wrong? What happened to you? Why are you saying all of this now?" Harry was still really confused and Draco was just making it worse with every word he spoke.

Draco let a small smile spread across his face. "Go up the Gryffindor tower and sleep. Everything will make sense tomorrow at breakfast. You'll understand everything and if you don't, come back here tomorrow during lunch." And with that, Draco walked into the Forbidden Forest.

Harry didn't know why he listened to Draco but did know that he was extremely exhausted and the sun did seem to be setting indicating it to be getting late in the day. He decided that Malfoy couldn't do anything to him in his room so Harry retired for the day.

* * *

He awoke the next morning to Ron saying something about being late for breakfast. His eyes shot open as he remembered what Malfoy had said about breakfast and quickly got up and dressed.

They met Hermione in the common room and walked as a group to the Great Hall. Harry hadn't told any of them about the strange conversation that he had had with Draco the previous day. He decided to wait till he figured it out.

The first thing he realized as he walked into the hall was that the Slytherin table was missing a platinum blond member of its house and the second was that no one was actually talking. They sat down at the Gryffindor and Ginny whispered over to them.

"Have you heard the news?" She seemed to in between excitement, shock, and plain terror. At the blank looks the three gave her she continued. "Apparently Mr. Malfoy came to Hogwarts yesterday morning and yanked Malfoy out of the class he was in. No one seemed to see him for the rest of the day. No one was really that worried about it though until someone got the_ Daily Prophet _this morning that had the Malfoy Manor on it."

Harry really didn't like the way this story seemed to be going. He felt dread in Ginny's words and was almost scared to hear the end of the story.

"So then there was some screams and every one just had to know what was happening but then Dumbledore came to his podium and announced that Lucius Malfoy had went crazy and, uhm…" Ginny was almost crying now and Harry knew he didn't want to know the end of what she had to say.

"Dumbledore said Lucius went crazy and killed Malfoy, Malfoy's mom and then himself. It was terrible because then the paper said that the killing curse wasn't used. It said they had been beaten to death, most likely by Lucius' stupid cane." Ginny couldn't help but let a few tears slide from her eyes.

Harry was shocked. Malfoy, dead? It just didn't seem right. Hermione had her head in her hands and was crying silently. Ron had paled incredibly.

"Sure, he was a git and hassled us a lot, but for him to die? Locked up in Azkaban, sure. But death? Especially being beaten. To feel all that pain. Not even Malfoy deserved that." Ginny said solemnly. The others seemed to agree.

Something finally clicked in Harry's head. "Did you say he was dragged out of class yesterday morning and no one saw him since?" Ginny nodded her head. "That can't be right. I talked to him yesterday evening. We were out by the lake and, granted, he seemed to be acting weird, he was there."

The other three looked at him like he had gone mad. "But I know for a fact that he wasn't at the school anytime after lunch." Ginny said, matter-of-factly.

"But you have to be wrong. He was there with me by the lake yesterday."

This time Hermione spoke. "Harry, there was no one by the lake when you woke up from your nap. You just got up and went to your room and went back to sleep. I watched you and came to check on you thinking you were sick. Malfoy was no where around the lake when you were down there."

Harry didn't understand. Malfoy had been there, speaking to him. At that moment, something Malfoy had said the day before stuck out in Harry's mind. _"I don't think you'll have to deal with me for to much longer in any case."_ This can't be happening. Malfoy wasn't dead. He'd come sauntering in at any moment now. Harry watched the doors for a second, just waiting to see the blonde boy make his entrance. No one came.

Harry stood from the table quickly. He had to get away from everyone and go find Malfoy. He would make Malfoy pay for having the entire school think he was dead. That was a terrible joke, even for him.

Harry quickly ran out of the Great Hall. Where should he look first? He didn't know. He scoured the castle and even the Marauders Map searching for Malfoy. Finally lunch was upon the school and Harry remembered that Malfoy said he'd be back by the lake around lunch if Harry was still confused.

Harry ran full out to the lake and the exact place he was the previous day. "Mal…foy." He was breathing hard and now tired but he was there.

"You know Potter, you shouldn't run like a maniac just to get someplace." Came Malfoy's familiar drawl.

Harry was so relieved when he saw Malfoy step out from behind a tree that he stopped breathing again. Malfoy seemed to realize this for he was at Harry's side in a moment and patting his back. "Potter, breath. You need it to live." He said and Harry took in some fresh air. "There you go. You wouldn't want people saying things about you following me to my death, would you?" It was so obviously a rhetorical question and Harry only glared slightly at Malfoy.

"How'd you do it?" He asked once he had recovered his lost air and got his breathing and heart rate under control.

"Hmm? Do what exactly?" Draco asked, seemingly oblivious to Harry's meaning.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. How'd you get everyone to believe you're dead? Even Dumbledore believes it. Is it some sort of plot to get more attention or are you planning something more sinister?" Harry never even thought about the evil things you could do if people thought you were dead.

Draco feigned being hurt by Harry's words. "I'm not pretending and I'm not using any spell. I truly am dead Potter. You can go find my blood splatters on the walls of Malfoy Manner if you don't believe me. Father really did a number on me yesterday." Malfoy had spoken so casually about it that it must be a lie.

"If you're dead then why are you here? Why aren't you transparent like other ghosts? And why does it seem like I'm the only one that can see you?" Harry was trying to grasp all things that were happening and kept replaying the conversation they had before, trying to find hidden meanings in the words.

"I think I told you this yesterday, didn't I? Unfinished business as they say. My spirit wanted me to come make friends with you before I left I guess. Don't really know about the other two though. Maybe I wouldn't look good as a transparent ghost though only having you see me is kind of annoying." Harry couldn't help but let a small smile spread across his face. Draco was witty when he wasn't being a totally mean git.

Draco looked at Harry and also gave a small smile. "Guess I can go now. It doesn't seem like you hate me anymore and now you know I'm dead and I've made my peace with everything. I can go in peace now I guess, or whatever happens when you finally leave this plane of existence."

Harry blinked at Malfoy's words. "You're serious aren't you? You're really, truly dead. Your crazy father killed you and now you're going to be gone." This seemed really weird to Harry. A world without his rival just seemed kind of darker.

Malfoy nodded his head, letting Harry work through whatever he was feeling on the subject. Soon Harry regained his composer and looked at Malfoy. "It'll be weird without you here you know." Harry said, trying to push a smile onto his face and failing miserably.

Malfoy on the other hand was able to set his face in a contented smile. "It will be weird being gone actually. I never thought about death when I was living and now it's really too late to wonder what awaits me."

"Ya know, I actually hope to see you again one day. Maybe not in this world or even this life time, but eventually, I want to see you again. We could have been friends if you hadn't been such a muggle hating prat." Harry said, his face finally setting into a grin.

Draco let out a laugh at that. "I think you're right. Maybe I'll see you on the other side when you come. Until then, good luck with the whole 'killing Voldy' thing." He gave Harry one last smile then turned and headed back into the forest, fading into the light and shadows that filter through the trees.

Harry just smiled and then heard his friends calling to him. They came up beside him and followed his stare into the forest.

After about five minutes at staring, Ron broke the silence. "What _are_ we looking for?" He said in a whiney voice.

Harry just shook his head and turned back to his friends. "Nothing, really."

Hermione gave him a concerned look. "Are you alright. We know that he was your enemy and everything but still we know you never really hated him."

Harry just looked at her for a moment before answering. "I'll be fine I think. It will take some getting used to that he wont be around but I believe I'll see him again in another life and we'll be the best of friends. I don't know why but I just know and am comforted by that thought." And with that, they all turned and headed back to the castle.

* * *

Complete rubbish? Probably. Fun to write? Most definitely! Sorry if they were OOC, I didn't want them to seem heartless for not caring about Draco's death. I think it was more the thought that somebody had died that made them like that and maybe not actually being upset about Draco's death. An I know Draco was OOC but all well. He's dead, he can be a little OOC.

The plot bunnies have already got me started on a sequal to this, kinda, and I hope to post that as soon as I finish it. It might be a chapter fic instead of a one-shot. Write me and tell me what you think, though I'll probably write it no matter what you guys say...

Anyways, reviews are always welcome and I hope you enjoyed my little fic. Hope to hear from you^^


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